North Korea “will move closer” to its announced goal of being able to strike the U.S. with a nuclear-armed missile if it keeps investing in tests of nuclear and missile technology, the Pentagon said Thursday in a report to Congress.The unclassified version of the report, which was required by a 2012 law, offered no estimate of when North Korea might achieve that capability. It said the pace of progress will depend in part on how many resources are invested.The report fits an established U.S. int

Trade volume between North Korea and the European Union (EU) more than halved last year from a year earlier after the North sharply cut exports of mineral resources, a news report said Friday.The trade volume between the two sides came to 69 million euros ($90.2 million) in 2012, only 43.4 percent of the 159 million euros recorded the previous year, the Washington-based Voice of America (VOA) reported, citing EU data.The dive came as the North's total exports to the EU shrank to 24 million euros

The United States said Thursday it was taking a fresh look at whether to arm Syria's rebels as the Damascus regime pressed an assault on opposition forces in the embattled city of Homs.After having rejected the idea previously, President Barack Obama's deputies were weighing the option of providing weapons to Syria's outgunned opposition, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters.Asked whether the U.S. government was rethinking its opposition to arming the rebels, Hagel replied with a firm "Y

The U.S. government called Thursday for the immediate release of a Korean-American man sentenced by North Korea to 15 years of forced labor for unspecified "crimes" against Pyongyang."What we're urging the DPRK (North Korean) authorities to do is to grant him amnesty and to allow for his immediate release,"Patrick Ventrell, deputy spokesman for the State Department, said at a press briefing. He took issue with the lack of transparency in the communist nation's legal system."We've had deep concer

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has no plans to visit North Korea anytime soon, his spokeswoman said Thursday after media reports that he may be seeking an active role in reducing tensions on the peninsula and securing the release of a Korean-American man."President Carter has not had an invitation to visit North Korea and has no plans to visit," Carter's press secretary, Deanna Congilio, told Yonhap News Agency in an email.Earlier, multiple South Korean news outlets reported that Pyongyang h

KT Corp., South Korea's top fixed-line and No. 2 mobile operator, said Friday its first-quarter net profit fell 47.6 percent from a year earlier due to increased marketing costs on long-term evolution (LTE) service and one-off costs.The company's consolidated net profit reached 212.6 billion won ($193 million) in the January-March period, down from 405.6 billion won a year earlier, the Seoul-based company said in a regulatory filing.KT attributed the weaker bottom line to an increase in marketin

The organizer of the U.S. Scholastic Aptitude Test canceled the college admission exam for Koreans scheduled for Saturday amid an investigation into a leak of exam questions.The College Board, which oversees the SAT, notified Korean applicants on Wednesday of the cancellation via email. The SAT is currently offered several times a year in more than 170 countries. The prosecution has been investigating more than eight private institutes since February over allegations that they leaked exam questi

Seven South Korean staff remaining at an inter-Korean industrial park failed to return home on Thursday as they were still negotiating with North Korean officials over unpaid wages and other issues, a Seoul official said."The gap has closed, but there are lingering differences that will require more talks," said the unification ministry official, who declined to be identified.The two sticking points are the amount of money South Korean companies need to pay North Korean laborers, and the need to

북한은 2일 한국계 미국인 케네스 배 (44. 한국명 배준호) 씨에게 15년의 노동교화형을 선고했다.조선중앙통신은 이날 “최고재판소는 반공화국 적대범죄행위를 감행한 배준호에게 15년의 노동교화형을 언도하였다”고 보도했다. 통신이 밝힌 바에 따르면 배씨에 대한 재판은 지난 4월 30일 조선민주주의인민공화국 최고재판소에서 진행되었다고 한다.   중국에서 여행사를 운영하는 배씨는 지난 11월 3일 라선시에 5명의 관광객을 인솔하고 입국했다가 체포되었다. 배씨가 선고받은 노동교화형은 탄광 등의 주변에 설치된 노동교화소에 수감돼 강도 높은 노동을 하는 신체형으로, 살인, 강도, 절도, 강간 등 일반 형사범과 사기, 횡령 등 경제범 가운데 형량 2년 이상의 중범자에게 선고된다.배씨에 대한 이번 선고는 지금까지 북한이 외국인 대상으로 내린 처벌 중에서 가장 무거운데, 이는 북한이 최근 한반도의 긴장국면이 지속되고 있는 가운데 미국을 압박해 대화를 유도하려는 의도에서 나온 것이라는 분석이 나오고

북한에 억류되어 있다가 2일 15년의 노동교화형을 선고받은 한국계 케네스 배 (44, 한국명 배준호) 씨에 대해 미국의 페이스북 유저들이 응원에 나섰다.“북한에 억류된 켄 베를 기억하라 (Remember Ken Bae, Detained in North Korea)”란 이름의 이 페이스북 페이지는 익명의 한 네티즌이 지난 12월 창설했는데, 배씨와 관련된 뉴스 및 응원의 메시지들을 올리는 형식으로 되어 있다.이 페이지는 스스로 “동료 시민을 위한 소식을 업데이트하는 장소”라고 밝혔지만, 배씨의 가족이나 관련 조직들을 대변하는 곳은 아니라고 명시했다. 이 페이지에는 2일 기준으로 총 491명이 ‘좋아요’를 클릭했으며, 이들은 “집으로 안전하게 돌아오길 바라,” “당신을 위해 기도하고 있어요,” “그를 놓아줘!” 등의 응원 메시지를 남겼다.그 중 한 명은 배씨가 “매우 위험한 정치적 게임의 졸 (卒, pawn)으로 이용되고 있다고 지적했다. 이는 북한이 미국을 압박하기 위한 방법으로 배씨

지난 1월 불산 사고가 발생한 삼성전자 반도체 생산라인에서 또 불산이 누출돼 작업자 3명이 병원으로 옮겨졌다.2일 오전 11시 30분께 경기도 화성시 반월동 삼성전자 화성사업장 11라인 중앙화학물질공급장치(CCSS) 탱크룸에서 불산 희석액 배관 철거작업 중 불산액이 소량 누출됐다.현장에는 배관철거 협력업체 성도ENG 직원 최모(46)씨 등 5명이 작업 중이었다.이 가운데 최씨를 포함 작업자 3명이 피부발진 등 이상증세를 보여 아주대병원으로 옮겨졌다.사고는 탱크룸 천장에 달린 배관을 철거하던 중 안에 남은 불산 희석액이 작업자들의 내산복 위로 흘러 발생했다.삼성전자 관계자는 "누출량을 정확히 알 수 없지만 작업자들이 배관을 절단하자 내산복 위로 한번 '주르륵' 흐른 정도로 파악됐다"고 말했다.작업자들은 "새벽부터 오전 10시 30분께까지 배관 내부를 비웠는데도 작업 도중 불산액이 흘렀다"고 전했다.작업자들은 내산장갑과 고글, 마스크, 방제복 등을 착용하고 있었지만 사다리로 올라가 작업

Three people were injured Thursday after a toxic gas leaked again at Samsung Electronics Co.’s chip plant in Hwaseong, Gyeongggi Province, the company said.In January, one worker was killed and several others injured after they were exposed to poisonous hydrofluoric acid gas. At 11:30 on Thursday, a small amount of the gas leaked while the workers were replacing a pipeline inside the Central Chemical Supply System.They were slightly injured and treated at a nearby hospital, according to the comp

An American detained for nearly six months in North Korea has been sentenced to 15 years of labor for crimes against the state, the North’s state media said Thursday, a development that further complicates already strained ties between Pyongyang and Washington. The sentencing of Kenneth Bae, described by friends as a devout Christian and a tour operator, comes amid signs of tentative diplomacy following weeks of rising tensions in the region. North Korea had been warning of nuclear war and missi

다국적 기록 응용프로그램(애플리케이션•앱) 제작업체 에버노트는 모바일 메신저 업체 카카오와 '카카오톡 채팅플러스 서비스' 제휴를 맺었다고 1일 밝혔다.이번 제휴로 카카오톡 사용자는 카카오톡의 채팅플러스에서 대화 중에도 에버노트 서비스를 이용할 수 있게 됐다.  에버노트는 문자, 사진 등에 대한 기록을 전문으로 하는 앱 제작업체로 전세계에 9천만명의 사용자가 있다.에버노트는 국내 스마트폰 사용자 대부분이 카카오 서비스를 통해 소통하고 기억을 공유한다는 점에 주목해 제휴를 하게됐다고 밝혔다. 한편 카카오톡 채팅플러스는 현재 19개 협력사와 함께 22개 서비스를 제공하고 있다.<관련 영문 기사>Kakao teams with Evernote for chat-memo serviceBy Yoon Min-sikKakao, the operator of the country’s biggest mobile messenger Kakao Talk, announced Wednesday that it has

Lakhdar Brahimi wants to resign as the joint United Nations-Arab League envoy to Syria because his efforts to find a political solution to the escalating conflict have failed, U.N. diplomats said Wednesday.Brahimi has found that speaking for two organizations with different views on Syria has made his role of trying to mediate a political transition almost impossible, two diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because their discussions with Brahimi were private. While U.N. Secretary-

South Korea will provide 300 billion won ($273 million) in emergency relief funds to local companies that have been forced to halt operations at the inter-Korean industrial complex in Gaeseong, the government said Thursday.The money aims to help businesses cover immediate liquidity problems caused by the suspension of operations at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, the Ministry of Unification said.The total includes 63 billion won in low interest loans provided by the inter-Korea cooperation fund

South Korean stocks opened a tad lower Thursday as weak economic indicators from the United States and China renewed worries over the global slowdown, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 1.1 points, or 0.06 percent, to 1,962.85 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Financial firms and steelmakers drove the shares down. No. 2 lender KB Financial Group shed nearly 1 percent and Dongkuk Steel Mill dropped more than 2 percent. The latest U.S. payroll data fell s

Barcelona star Lionel Messi watched from the sideline as Bayern Munich completed its dismantling of the Spanish side with a 3-0 win on Wednesday, lining up the first all-German Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund.With its all-time leading scorer out after he aggravated a right hamstring injury, Barcelona failed to seriously threaten Bayern's goal _ much less an epic comeback after its 4-0 first-leg defeat.Bayern, meanwhile, humbled a team that has been the envy of European football

Two of the four South Korean football teams at Asia's premier club competition have advanced to the knockout phase, hoping to maintain the country's recent run of dominance at the annual tournament.FC Seoul and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of the K League Classic are through to the round of 16 at the AFC Champions League. The group stage concluded earlier this week, and with FC Seoul having qualified for the next round a week earlier, Jeonbuk also made it to the knockout stage with a 0-0 draw against

A year ago, Facebook was just testing the waters of mobile advertising, causing plenty of headaches for investors ahead of its massive initial public offering.It has since eased those worries.On Wednesday the world's biggest social networking company said nearly a third of its advertising revenue came from mobile in the first three months of the year, helping to push total revenue up 38 percent to surpass Wall Street's expectations.“They are making the transition to mobile faster than anyone ant